Comic-Con 2012: 'Godzilla' Footage Revealed at Warner Bros. Panel

In between the Pacific Rim and Hobbit footage showcased at the Comic-Con 2012 Warner Bros. panel, Thomas Tull, the exec from Legendary Pictures, whipped a secret out of his ear.

The lights darkened, some vaguely Japanese calligraphy font gave the company titles, some gong-like percussion was heard and...

Images of destruction. Derailed, smushed trains. Bodies strewn everywhere. Skyscrapers with enormous holes in it. A voice-over, like a radio preacher, talking about end of days and destruction. (Note: someone smarter than me pointed out that it was J. Robert Oppenheimer's "I am become death.")

Then we see something that looks like a mountain. No -- it's scaly. We pull back, and there's something with claws. It's cradling a boat. Not a yacht -- like a giant ship with sails. Finally: the Roar. The trademarked (literally) Roar.

The crowd all defecates at once. Then a full side view and ANOTHER roar. It's Godzilla. Godzilla is back, and he's not a Roland Emmerich joke.

Director Gareth Edwards came out. He's the dude who made 'Monsters,' a solid indie sci-fi drama on his iMac.

He was charming, and looked very young and happy to be here. He said that there was "nothing sci-fi about this movie. It's very grounded, shot as if what would really happen if a monster attacked."

Regarding the extremely brief (but AWESOME) footage, Edwards added, "I've never worked this long and this hard on something that lasted just a few seconds since, since I lost my virginity."